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Taxus brevifolia  Nutt.
California yew,   Pacific yew,   Western yew
© 2011 Steve Matson
© 2011 Steve Matson
© 2018 Richard Spjut
© 2021 David popp
© 2020 Julie A. Kierstead
© 2020 Julie A. Kierstead
© 2015 Nathan Feldman
© 2019 Tri Do
© 2018 Richard Spjut
© 2024 Mary Ann Machi
© 2024 Mary Ann Machi
© 2020 Ryan Hall
© 2020 Julie A. Kierstead
© 2020 Tri Do
© 2020 Tri Do
© 2024 David popp
Taxus brevifolia is a tree that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Taxus
Family: Taxaceae  
Category: gymnosperm  
PLANTS group:Gymnosperm
Jepson eFlora section: gymnosperm

Toxicity: Do not eat any part (esp. the seed) of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Communities: Douglas-Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:
JEFTaxus brevifolia var. brevifolia
JEFTaxus brevifolia var. polychaeta
JEFTaxus brevifolia var. reptaneta
Information about  Taxus brevifolia from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (TABR2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Uses: Traditionally, the resilient and rot-resistant wood was used by Native Americans to make tools, bows (backed with sinew), arrows, and canoe paddles.[4] Other purposes for yew included making harpoons, fishhooks, wedges, clubs, spoons, drums, snowshoes, and arrowheads.[4] The foliage and bark was used for medicinal purposes.[4] Members of the Pit River Tribe would sell this plant to the Ukiah.[25] The Concow tribe calls the tree yōl’-kō (Konkow language). (link added by Mary Ann Machi)

[srs.fs.usda.gov] Flowering & Fruiting: Pacific yew is dioecious. Male strobili are stalked, bud-like, pale yellow, and composed of 6 to 12 filamentous stamens, each with 5 to 9 anthers. They are abundant on the underside of branch sprays and usually appear in May or June. Female strobili are less abundant, greenish, and composed of several scales. They also are borne on the underside of branches. The fruit is an ovoid-oblong seed about 8 mm (0.3 in) long, partially enveloped by a fleshy, berrylike, scarlet, cup-shaped disk called an aril. Pollen is dispersed by wind in the spring (6,11,19,22). (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2025).